Bihar: 27 women surgically sterilized without anesthesia in Khagaria

Some women have alleged that around 30 women were scheduled to be surgically sterilized at the said hospital here. But none of them were given anesthesia before the surgery. When some of the women started screaming in pain, some of them fled the hospital out of fear. 23 women were however sterilized without being sedated.

Khagaria (Bihar): In yet another harrowing case of medical negligence in Bihar, 23 women were allegedly sterilized without sedation at the Alauli Health Centre in Khagaria. The women subjected to this negligence have come forward and narrated their ordeals, though no police complaints have been filed in the matter so far.

The women have alleged that around 30 women were scheduled to be surgically sterilized at the said hospital here. But none of them were given anesthesia before the surgery. When some of the women started screaming in pain while they were being operated on, about 7 women fled the hospital out of fear. 23 women were however sterilized without being sedated.

Pratima, one of the 30 women, said that she was given sedatives after the excruciatingly painful surgery she went through without being anesthetized. "When I went to the hospital, I was shocked to see two women screaming during the surgery. I asked the doctors why they were screaming, but nobody responded properly. When it was my chance, I was horrified to see that they were starting the surgery without anesthesia."

"I even asked them to sedate me first. They refused, said it'll be performed without any anesthesia. The surgery was extremely painful. I was screaming through the entire process. When it got too painful, they had four men holding me down while they stitched my organs," Pratima said. "I was given a sedative later, after the surgery. I don't remember what happened after that," she added.

The higher medical authorities at the hospital have taken cognizance of the matter and reassured appropriate action against the culprits if the allegations made by the women are true. "We are not sure if this has actually happened. It could be false allegations. But we will look into it. Ideally, if the allegations are true, it is very unprofessional to operate without anesthesia," said Khagaria civil surgeon Dr A Jha.